dudacek

Yessir, 402 and counting.

He is listed as Buffalo, but has only played 82, number 12 all-time.

Orpik grew up in Amherst but was born in San Francisco. Iafallo is listed as Eden. The first three are correct

In NHL history, 22 players list their birthplace as Buffalo New York. I’m not asking for all 22, name the 11 who made it to 100 games.

5 points ahead of the Senators, 11 over Detroit. 7 points behind the Lightning, 1 back of Florida.

Vegas has had 9 first round picks in their history traded 6 of them. “Two 1st round picks” has a pretty wide range in value. I wouldn’t I would trade Savoie or Benson for Hart one-for-one, let alone both of them. But I would flip Brendan Brisson and the Vegas’ 1st rounder next year for him in a heartbeat.

I said it before: there’s a big difference between a breakout year and a career year. Based in general NHL trends, 2 players had totals he’s OK to be skeptical of: definitely Skinner and less so Tuch. Mitts, Dahlin, Thompson and maybe Cozens are all at an age/experience level where it is reasonable to expect similar numbers more often than not over the next 5 or 6 years. Quinn, Peterka, Krebs and Power are players where their peaks are almost certainly still to come.

My summer ranking, post-development camp, based on how good an NHL player they should become. Pretty remarkable that the list remains this strong after the graduations or departures of 1 Power, 3 Quinn, 4 Peterka, 7 Krebs, 9 Samuelsson, 10 Portillo, 13 Luukkonen, and 19 Bloom. I think last year’s pool (ranks in parentheses) could go down as the Sabres greatest of all time. Should be NHLers, could be really good: 1 Levi (2): my feelings about Levi haven’t changed; he has first-line athleticism and a first-line mental approach to the game and his position. His size is not going to matter. Kid is going to be a star. 2 Benson (NR): I’m going to need more tape and more time, but I would not be surprised to find myself next year writing for Benson what I just wrote about Levi. So much skill, so much hockey IQ, so much compete. The caution flags of size and speed are fair, but I think he has so much small area skill and reads the game so well on both sides of the puck that he can make them irrelevant. First line upside. 3 Savoie (5): A relatively slow start gave me some concern he was one of those guys who might have peaked as a teen, but from Christmas until May he was dominant, posting Dylan Cozens-like D+1 numbers. He’s a piranha out there, a pace-pusher with NHL speed and quickness and a lot of high-end skill. Worst-case scenario I see a middle-six Conner Garland type winger, but he has more upside than that and he might be a top 6 NHL centre. 4 Kulich (8): Nobody in the entire NHL prospect world outperformed their draft position last year like Kulich. The kid has an elite shot and a swagger and a resume that screams crunch-time performer. He’s not slick, but he is strong and skilled and versatile enough to adapt to where you need him to play. I think his future is more wing than centre, but he’s got a very high floor, and he can score goals. If he adds some maturity to his defensive game, it’s not hard to envision him as a core player. 5 Östlund (6): My vote for the organization’s most underrated prospect. Like Kulich, he also played a top six role in a men’s league in his D+1 and did very well. He is very smart, very competitive and was noticeably bigger at development camp this year. He is fast, plays fast, makes good reads at both ends and has the skill to make the most of what his other attributes create. Very trustworthy player who projects as middle six centre. Could be NHL regulars 6 Rosen (16): I have not yet completely bought in to the Rosen hype train that gathered speed last season, but he certainly made me take notice. I always saw the skill - he’s got excellent speed and hands - but I seriously doubted if he had the strength and the will. He’s still more of a complementary player than a driver and still needs to become more assertive, but clearly improved last year in both areas. He’s small, but more willing to go to the hard ice, and the way he bounces back up from the bullying has been impressive. Friendship and competition from Kulich has done wonders for his confidence and I am very curious to see if he can make the step to first-line AHLer next year. Doing that at 20 would bode well for an NHL career as a 2nd line offensive winger. 7 Johnson (12): I’ve never seen huge upside here, but Johnson’s feet and his ability to transition pucks and defend always made me pretty confident he was going to play. The crowd right now on the blueline means he will have to jump over a lot of bodies to be in the NHL, but I have little doubt he will and suspect it won’t take long. He could quietly become a nice Bill Hajt-like #4. 8 Wahlberg (NR): The more you read and watch, the easier it is to see why the Sabres got enamoured with this guy: 6’3” 17-year-olds with hands, speed and a mean streak are usually worth a premium, especially if they can play centre. It’s hard to say where he’s going to end up as a pro, but his tool box is the type you can project finding a role almost anywhere in the lineup. Whether or not he continues the meteoric rise of his draft year should give us a better sense of what he might become. 9 Poltapov (11): I’ve been one of his bigger boosters around here for a while. He’s gritty enough to disturb shifts on the fourth line and skilled enough to hang with better players further up the lineup. He’s the type of player we don’t have a lot of in the system, and is built for the playoffs. He just won a ring in the KHL as a D2 player. I would not be surprised if he skips the Amerks and walks right on to the NHL roster as a role player in 25/26 after his KHL contract expires. 10 Novikov (15): He’s a massive human being who likes to defend and play physical, and seems to have more skill than his 6th-round pedigree implies. Will be one of the most interesting prospects to follow on the Amerks next year. Very easy to project as 3rd pairing defensive defenceman and makes you wonder if there could be even more there. Has a shot 11 Rousek (HM): I like Rousek’s all-around game at the AHL level. He reads the play very well and can make plays at that level. I wonder if his size/speed/skill package is enough to allow that game to translate in the NHL. If it doesn’t, I’m not sure if he’s good enough at any one skill to stick as a role player. He’ll get the chance to show us this year and he’s earned it. 12 Strbak (NR): The scouting report reads like the prototype for a 2nd pairing NHL defenceman: good length, skating, puck skills, hockey sense and physicality. Plus he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he’s been a leader for his cohort. He was a guy I’d targeted in the 2nd round, and will be very disappointed if he doesn’t elevate to the next prospect tier during his D+1 year. Reminds me of McCabe and I can see him following that path. 13 Neuchev (14): Oh those hands. Neuchev has the type of offensive skill that should put him in the NHL, so long as he has enough of a team game to support it. I’m curious to see whether one-way play and a tendency to hog the puck are obstacles for him and how Appert can correct that if they are. He comes with question marks, but he also has upside in spades. Another intriguing player to watch in Rochester. 14 Leinonen (HM): This is based almost entirely on draft pedigree. I know the pick was questioned and that he did nothing last year to answer those questions. I also know he was the highest-ranked goalie in the 2022 draft and the Sabres scouting staff isn’t stupid. I wonder why he struggled last year, and if he can rehabilitate his value the coming year the way Rosen did in the year that just finished. Longshot with a shot 15 Kisakov (17): I love this kid’s skill level, and his sneaky dirty game and really admire the journey he took last year as a skinny teenager, so far from home without a support group and unable to speak the language. Don’t know if he’ll ever get thick enough to make it, but I expect a jump from a rough rookie year as an AHL teenager, and I’m definitely pulling for him. 16 Kozak (HM): Kozak was hardly an impact player as an AHL rookie, but he also started the year as an under-ager and showed he’s competitive as hell and tough as nails for his size. If he makes it, it will be as a 4th line centre, but don’t underestimate his chances. Another of several on this list who will be worth watching to see his improvement for the Amerks. 17 McCarthy (NR): Kinda like Strbak in that he ticks all the requisite boxes for a projectable middle pairing NHL defenceman. Not quite as steady perhaps, but someone who could eventually grow into a Colin Miller if the cards fall his way and he’s in a good position for a slow grow. 18 Komarov (NR): Lack of foot speed drops him below McCarthy, but he’s got some savvy and some jam and added some production this year to go with his good size. The fact the Sabres already have him under contract says they think he’s got a future. 19 Miedema (NR): More of a projection than some, but Miedema has a size/speed combination more usually associated with 2nd-rounders than 4th-rounders. He’s also got skill, some snarl, put up some good numbers and was a very highly rated OHL draft pick. Uneven play after getting traded for Shayne Wright dropped his stock. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres can help restore it because he has NHL tools. 20 Nadeau (18) I struggled with dropping Nadeau to the bottom of this tier, because I like his courage and his hands and he had an excellent final junior season coming off an injury. I just don’t know if his strengths will be enough to overcome his slow feet. Ice time will be hard to come by in Rochester and it will be interesting to see who out of Nadeau, Cedarqvist, Kozak, Kisakov and Neuchev will force themselves into key roles. Honourable mentions are: Richard (NR) kinda like Neuchev, a slow marinate with intriguing skill; Lindgren (20) got bigger, still love his skating, still question his ability to defend; Ratzlaff (NR) a player with the skills and circumstance to take a big jump; and Cedarqvist (NR) enough size and grit to keep an eye on.

No, I meant hoarding. As in most of us want Benson, Savoie etc to become the stars we imagine they will become right here in Buffalo and are reluctant to let any of them go. Most of us also realize they all can’t be stars and they are logically an organizational strength that should be used to shore up organizational weaknesses. The spectrum comes from who and how many we are willing to sacrifice, and to get what.

With most of us still hoping for “none of the above” we haven’t really seen too much debate around should the backup be UPL or Comrie? They really are the antithesis of each other. With Comrie I see an earnest, hard-working guy who technically does most things right in terms of how he tracks and how he moves. He’s just not that talented. UPL is a physical monster and a good athlete with sloppy technique and issues staying focused. I think Comrie is the better choice for a disciplined, low-event team because he will generally be where he should be and do what he should do within the system. UPL might a better choice for the Sabres because he has a better chance of making big saves off Buffalo’s inevitable breakdowns and getting on a roll. He also still has a chance of improving thanks to his physical gifts. With Comrie, what you see is what you get.

I’d say more of a spectrum than camps, but that’s nitpicking; I’m in agreement. Most of Sabrespace would like another good defenceman, wants a goalie, wants to hoard our pool as much as possible and likes the direction we’re headed. The devil (and much of our conversation) is in the details.

Kid is on a fantastic looking holiday in the south of France. Probably wants to just enjoy it. The deal is inevitable. Probably already done and just waiting for him to finish decompressing before it gets announced and he has to face the accompanying hoopla.

He wasn’t to start the year; plays frequently died on his stick as he skated himself into dead areas. But by the end of the season he frequently looked like the WJC version of Casey, a puck hound with fantastic hands. I hope the player we saw down the stretch is the player he can continue being. Teams with that guy as their 5th best forward are very, very good.

No, he’s a third liner. Two guys with less ice time and way fewer points are our 2nd liners. just ask the internet 🤷

Not sure if I made my point: The 74 Sabres already had the Connection, Luce, Rammer, Schoeny, Korab and nearly everyone else who we remember as the core of a great team and they still missed the playoffs. It wasn’t additions that put them over the top, it was experience. Last year’s Sabres team was force-fed that experience. Is it so unrealistic to see them make a similar leap?

In the Sabres history, they’ve made a jump from mediocre to very good three times: 1975 1990 2006 Look at those teams, particularly their ages and where they came from. Not once was it sparked by a collection of flashy veteran outside additions. Every time it was sparked by a young, homegrown core that either arrived, or stepped into their fully formed selves at around the same time. Apparently, it happens every 15 years or so.

It's crowded literally at every level and position except NHL forward. By design to be sure. It will be interesting to watch which players push their way up.

Misleading in what sense? Jost played 59 games for the Sabres last year. The other 6 "new" guys played 59 combined.

Is the bold your opinion, or Donnie’s? Because when has Granato ever shown a lack of trust in Jokiharju, or shown any inclination to prefer Boosh? 21 minutes a night last year for Henri. 15 for Ilya. To paraphrase @Taro T, Granato loves him some Jokiharju.

I’d agree with this. Im of the opinion the core of Thompson Tuch Dahlin Power Cozens Levi doesn’t need to turn over, it just needs time.

As it stands right now, these are the changes from last year’s opener: Jost Asplund Greenway Hinostroza Rousek (?) Bjork Clifton Bryson Johnson Fitzgerald Levi Anderson Luukkonen Comrie That’s 7 of 23 slots - a lot more of a turnover than what it feels like.

Two all-around studs, two mammoth stay-at-home types, two aggressive play pushers (one physically, one with his skating). Donnie’s going to have plenty of choices for how he wants to match up.

I think those are the putative starting six, but you can mix and match them any way you want and Lyubushkin will get plenty of action as the season unfolds. It sure sounded like he doesn’t envision Johnson as a 6/7, more like somebody he intends to lean on, on and off the ice. There’s been a real tactical angle to his comments this week; I suspect we will see a lot more tactical matchups, both within games and game-to-game. And they’ve targeted these two new guys as players having the situational skill sets missing from the tool box last year. Sounds like we may get a much better look at Donnie Granato, game coach, this season.

Nadeau, I believe

He was noticeable in a power forward way: obvious strength and speed driving to the net.